Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Nursing
Advisor
Leslie Hussey
Abstract
AbstractPolypharmacy is described as having six or more prescription medications that are consumed concurrently and affects citizens worldwide. Polypharmacy may negatively affect patient care in hospitalized patients because nurses may lack the time to provide adequate care because they are overworked and/or understaffed, leading to problems such as medication errors. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study, guided by role theory, was to explore bedside nurses' perceptions of their role regarding patient polypharmacy. Twelve bedside nurses were interviewed on their roles in polypharmacy and medication management for elderly patients. The interviews were analyzed and revealed three distinct themes and eight subthemes related to the experiences of bedside nurses in managing the polypharmacy of geriatric patients. Themes included that polypharmacy is a significant issue that impacts the nurses' role in geriatric care, polypharmacy affects the care the nurses provide to elderly patients, and training and education being vital to effective polypharmacy management. For the practice of bedside nursing for geriatric patients, the current work may provide the grounds for organizational changes in the role definitions for nurses, though additional research is required to support a change. The recommendations for future research include the exploration of specific factors that contribute to polypharmacy management error and the pressures on nurses which may contribute to such errors. Minimizing errors resulting from polypharmacy and improving the operations of healthcare organizations with a history of medication errors would bring about positive social change.
Recommended Citation
Walker, Patience E., "Bedside Nurses' Perception of Their Role Managing Elderly Patient's Polypharmacy" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 9830.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9830
